VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Redwood City, US-based remote home monitoring company iControl Networks acquired Ottawa, Canada-based home automation device maker Blacksumac for an undisclosed amount to expand its product portfolio.

Ramat-Gan, Israel-based nanotech startup StoreDot developed a prototype of a device that will enable a person to charge a phone within just 20 seconds in a cost-efficient and environment-friendly manner.

Herzliya, Israel-based connected device network Neura bagged $2 million in a funding round led by Greenhouse Capital Partners to connect several gadgets using one mobile app.

Social media giant Twitter snapped up Cover, a startup that offers a lock screen and app drawer for Android devices, for an undisclosed amount, to boost its popularity among Android users.

Cupertino, US-based smartphone giant Apple launched its iPhone trade-in program in Germany to allow its customers to purchase a new iPhone at a discounted price when they trade in a qualifying old device.

US-based electronics giant Apple Inc acquired British automatic speech recognition startup Novauris Technologies for an undisclosed amount more than a year ago to gain traction over Google Now and Microsoft Cortana.

Liberty Media announced selling a controlling stake in Barnes & Noble without disclosing the price and the potential bidders for the transaction, said a Reuters report.

Plug Power Inc. acquired ReliOn Inc. in an all stock deal valued USD4 million, reported Reuters.

US smartphone giant Apple Inc. had been in discussion with Renesas Electronics to buy a controlling stake in the company, according to a source familiar with the matter said a Reuters report.

Munich, Germany-based smart headphones The Dash broke its $260,000 crowdfunding goal on the Kickstarter platform by reaching a total of more than $3 million for the whole campaign.

Antoine Leblond, a longtime executive for Windows and Office, is leaving Washington, US-based software giant Microsoft on Monday to explore his opportunities outside of the firm.

BlackBerry's new chief John Chen revealed that its messaging app BBM now has 85 million monthly active users and a steady growth in its user base after the app was released to the Android and iOS platform in October.

Two weeks after receiving approval from the US bankruptcy court in Delaware, Brussels, Belgium-based chemical firm Solvay completed the acquisition of Pennsylvania-based electronics company Plextronics Inc to enhance its OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) electronic display capabilities.

Less than 12 hours after Microsoft launched its Office for iPad, the apps ranked in the top three of the world's most popular free apps on the Apple App Store, VentureBeat reported.

The startups on Y Combinator's Winter 2014 class held a vote as to who among their classmates would be most likely to succeed and their votes were different from that of TechCrunch's own picks.